Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

5 reviews

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read as was listed for Women's Prize longlist 2024.

Intergenerational story of challenging lived experiences, which led a 10 year old to take the life of a toddler. 

Reflects on the impact of trauma attachments throughout a whole family & the media culture too. 

A tragic story, hopefully will be shortlisted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Alcohol, and Grief

katiemanring's review

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This was a challenging but beautifully written family story that truly is an onion. One tragic death of a child opens up the layers of the family’s past and unravels the mystery in part and in some parts doesn’t at all. Compellingly consumable I enjoyed this sad but hopeful tale full of rich characters. Very different from Nolan’s other novel - shows a rich, beautiful range in her ability to tell stories. I recommend both her books!! 

I appreciate and thank NetGalley and the publisher for the galley ARC for an honest review! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Abortion, Grief, and Child abuse

linguaphile412's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Child death

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Death, Child abuse, and Death of parent

bubblegum_or_books's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Death, and Child death

Minor: Cancer, Grief, and Infidelity

reads_eats_explores's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Set in the 1990s, ambitious reporter Tom Hargreaves stumbles across a scoop: a dead child on a London estate. At the centre of the suspicions are one reclusive family of Irish immigrants; others on the estate call them ‘degenerates’, ‘bad apples’. But are they even to blame, or is this a modern day witch hunt?

Fiercely ambitious Tom is determined to get to the bottom of the events, but he has a brisk disregard for the ‘peasants,’ i.e. anyone, not a celebrity or journalist; he believes that nothing should get in the way of a good story, particularly none of the ‘ordinary human failings’.

Tom convinces the newspaper to put the family up in a hotel with all expenses paid. In the conversations that follow, the family are forced to confront the secrets, prejudices and silences that have trapped them for generations.

Told in a stream-of-consciousness style from various characters' points of view, this adds intimacy and depth to the narrative that would otherwise be difficult to achieve so well here. The author's exploration of love, desire, and mental health is poignant and beautifully done. 

Nolan’s characters are tangible and diverse in their physicality and emotion. There is a grittily true sense of the familial ties of the Green family; Nolan’s observation of their inner and outer emotional lives and the predispositions to why they act as they do are spot on.

Ultimately this is a stunning portrait of what it is to struggle in the face of incomprehensible circumstances, of repression, and its resulting damage.

I expected this book to be more like ‘Acts’ a "messy woman" book which I adored, but this is much more of a thriller/mystery. And I loved it; utterly compelling reading. 4.5 ⭐

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Medical content, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Murder, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Addiction